This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-333957, filed Oct. 31, 2000, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a urine cup carry-in apparatus to carry a urine cup containing urine into a urine cup carrying line of a preprocessing system for a urinalysis.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a urine cup carry-in apparatus of this type, generally, a urine cup containing urine can be automatically carried into a urine cup carrying line by setting the urine cup in a carry-in mechanism set up in a casing.
In a urinalysis performed in hospitals or the like, a patient sets his or her own urine cup in a urine cup holder of the urine cup carry-in apparatus, which is set up at a checkup window (provided in a rest room), by himself or herself and then turns on a start button to start the urine cup carry-in apparatus.
In the foregoing prior art urine cup carry-in apparatus, when a patient operates the apparatus as an operator and he or she is unaccustomed to the operation or in bad condition, it is feared that he or she spends a lot of time to set a urine cup and turn on a start button or makes an operation mistake.
An object of the present invention is to provide a urine cup carry-in apparatus having the following advantages.
(a) Even though an operator is unaccustomed to a handling operation or in bad condition, it is hardly feared that he or she makes an operation mistake and thus the operator can carry in a urine cup smoothly.
(b) Even though an operator makes an operation mistake, he or she can carry in a urine cup safely and exactly because the next process is not performed unless the operation is performed normally as predetermined.
In order to attain the above object, a urine cup carry-in apparatus according to the present invention has the following characteristic configuration. The other characteristic configurations will be clarified in the Embodiment later.
A urine cup carry-in apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention, to carry a urine cup containing an amount of urine into a urine cup carrying line of a preprocessing system for a urinalysis, comprises:
a casing set close to the urine cup carrying line;
a carry-in mechanism set inside the casing and including a urine cup holder which holds the urine cup, the urine cup holder being movably provided such that the urine cup is allowed to be automatically carried into the urine cup carrying line; and
an information message display device and a voice guide device arranged adjacent to each other to present an operation guide to an operation including at least means for setting the urine cup containing urine into the urine cup holder and means for starting a carry-in operation of the urine cup holder which holds the urine cup.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.